TIDE SWAMP 24 25 SALVAGE TIMBER SALE

SALE ADVERTISEMENT

Tide Swamp 24/25 Salvage Sale

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Florida Forest Service is seeking sealed bids for the sale of timber. This is a salvage harvest of Hurricane Helene damaged slash pine plantations on approximately 1,340 acres located on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Big Bend Wildlife Management Area, Tide Swamp Unit in Taylor County, Florida (see attached maps). The successful bidder will be expected to begin harvesting within 10 days of contract execution. There are two type of priority areas for this salvage sale.  Priority one is 696 acres in size; these areas are dry and need salvaged right-away. Priority two is 644 acres in size, these areas are currently wetter sites and will need some time to dry out before heavy logging equipment can be used. Timber to be salvage harvested in both priority areas includes slash pines that are laying down, have broken main stems, and trees leaning greater than 20 degrees. Standing live undamaged slash pines are to be harvested by operator select thinning, leaving 50 square feet of basal area per acre. Harvesting operations will be directed on the ground by the Forester-in-Charge. All Best Management Practices will be followed on this sale. The winning bidder must provide at least two logging crews with adequate equipment to harvest the damaged trees simultaneously. There is no estimate of volume of timber to be harvested. Products will be salvage pine pulpwood/mulchwood and salvage pine chip-n-saw and better. Sale boundaries will be roads, firelines, Big Bend WMA boundaries, or obvious timber type changes. This will be a twelve (12) month contract. Each timber sale settlement is to be written in two separate checks in the following percentages: 90% to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and 10% to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.  All checks should be sent to the Forester-in-Charge along with all other settlement information. Interested parties may obtain complete bid information by contacting Michael Edwards at (850) 228-7809

The Florida Forest Service reserves the right to reject any and all bids and to waive any irregularity in bids received.

Bids will be opened at:

Florida Forest Service Office

15019 Broad Street

Brooksville, FL 34601

11/19/2024 10:00 AM, EST